


Classified Level Ten

by AlexMcpherson79



Series: Captain Skye [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-30 20:32:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13959444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexMcpherson79/pseuds/AlexMcpherson79
Summary: Collection of stories following Peggy Carter and her adventures as a Mother, an Agent and as Director of SHIELD





	1. 1992 - Furious Victory

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is a short ficlet that I'd like to expand later. It's set during the 90s when Peggy has a dozen or so candidates to succeed her as Director, but is at an impasse... until a, friend, decides to assist.
> 
> Nicholas Fury and Victor von Doom have a long history. One is a paranoid soldier, the other, a paranoid statesman. Neither like one another, but there is a strange respect between them. Even though on several occasions, One was imprisoned by the other.

**Castle von Doom, Latveria, 1992**

Victor smiled darkly as his guards shoved the taller of the two agents into the cell, the shorter being allowed to walk in on her own power without a word. Victor wasn't going to bring to light that only one person here wasn't afraid of her, and honestly, that person wasn't Victor. Though it did contrast the treatment of the other agent nicely, now him, none of them were afraid of.

The male agent recovered quickly, and turned to face them. "You won't get away with this, Doom." The tall African-American agent spoke, both eyes trying to bore into Victor's.

The female agent just smiled lightly with a roll of the eyes, stood behind the male agent. Victor ignored it, and resisted his own desire to roll-eyes at the dramatics. Or the cliche use of the line. "With what, Agent Fury? Capturing two foreign agents who were operating on sovereign soil illegally?" Fury looked away. "Agent Romanoff, I would appreciate that, this time, No singing, please?" Victor smirked at her angry scowl, and did an about-face and strode away, letting his cowl billow in a manner that unfortunately didn't impress either of his newest prisoners. Guards followed him up to their own posts, and without word retook them.

The faces of the other prisoners were pressed against the bars, and he knew that the billowing  _did_ impress at least a few, as he heard mutters about it.

It was all a show, of course. As he ascended out of the dungeons - a cliche he unfortunately knew the worth of, otherwise he'd have gotten rid of it, or not made it look like one in the least - he shifted in his stance, from 'dark overlord of evil' to the businessman he was. As he got to the ground level, one of his aides walked up. "Sir, there are-"

"I know, at least a dozen Kings, Presidents and Tyrants all clamoring to hear about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?" His aide nodded. "Did you confirm their presence?" A shake of the head, "All you know is that a collection of agents were captured, but you don't know if they're S.H.I.E.L.D. or otherwise, and that we will contact them, should we wish to auction them out of Latveria."

His aide nodded, and left with a simple dismissal. Auction. A practise he didn't appreciate, but had partaken in, as both buyer and seller, for many reasons. Not for objects, that was simply a normal part of supply and demand, there is one of something, and many wanting it. For people, that was where his ire was aimed.

One such subject of a previous auction approached. A poor fellow, himself a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had been too badly affected by his time captive in Asia, Victor had 'purchased' him over a decade ago, a favour to a friend. And this former agent knew why, and knew him well enough, given his question, "Sir, shall I get Director Carter on the line?"

He nodded, continuing his march through the castle, until he arrived at one of his studies, the one he preferred for his work as a Head of State. He found a familiar face already there. "Susan, I wasn't expecting you here... I'm afraid it's not a good time."

"What, more prisoners?" She sent him a dark look.

He just raised his hands, "I am a head of state, whose forces captured two spies operating both illegally and without permission of I or the government here. I'm just about to get this handled."

The young adult, not even yet twenty years old, just gave him a glower, and changed subject. "Latest proposals from Reed. I'm going back to America tomorrow."

He nodded idly, looking at the large stack of paperwork placed on his desk. This was his Statesman study, not his Business study. Susan knew that she should have sent the paperwork there, but he figured this was her typical act of rebellion. It wasn't his fault that the internship requirements meant working here, rather than from the Manhattan office.

"Give my regards to your boyfriend." The momentary pause in her pace made him know, there was a story there, but Susan didnt reply as she left.

He sighed heavily as he sat down, and, after a moment, his phone rang, and confirming with his former-agent aide, opened the exterior line, and a steady light confirmed it was encrypted. "Good to hear from you again, Peggy. It seems we have a little... situation." He paused, listening to the response. "You were right, of course. My people are trying to determine who blew the security of their operation and I already have various world leaders breathing down my throat trying to get at your agents. I can only stall them so long, before my reputation would be questioned."

He looked away, as Peggy replied. Her suggestion was-

"Only those I trust on my end knew that I actually authorised their presence, and that is not something I can reveal. Not with my reputation, and not with my politics. I have... an alternative suggestion." He smiled at the fully formed idea he already came up with. "Most of the agents are being held in a secure ward of a prison not far from Castle von Doom, but I had two agents brought here. One happens to be one of your proteges, and the other is Agent Romanoff. I've already given her a code regarding their, stay, here."

He smiled at the swearing, he loved getting that reaction from his old friend.

"I told her, no singing this time."

More swearing.

"Besides, it will solve another of my problems." He interrupted, smile fading to nothing, "And I even know how. One of my, interns, is based out of here, but is returning to America tomorrow. Her aircraft is one of my own, and no one would  _dare_."

Silence, before laughter. Then a question.

"No, I don't like it, this intern is one of my more promising students, but she... 'Isn't a Fan' of much of what I do here. Do see that she doesn't find out, if you will? I wouldn't like to open that Pandora's box."

He gave short farewells and ended the call.

He had preparations to make. It did need to look... spectacular, and the inner showman was already giggling with glee.


	2. The Red Room, 1965

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a (draft version) of Skye's second trip to Russia, currently just the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am taking the idea that Leviathan is the over-arching organization, and the Red Room Academy is basically the training and scientific division for Leviathan.
> 
> In this story, there are two timelines - The Alpha Timeline, which is where Skye was actually born, and the Beta Timeline, where she grew up as Peggy's Daughter. The actual time travel will only be dealt with in Agents of T.I.M.E., but succinctly: It's the MCU films and both ABC shows (and not the netflix ones) up to episode 5x10.
> 
> As such, in the Alpha Timeline, things like Leviathan went as the show, the Red Room as hinted in Age of Ultron (Romanoff in the late-80s and early 90s as training there).  
> In the Beta Timeline, a LOT got Butterflied up. To explain, firstly, that this is both the same Natasha Romanoff, yet also she was born in the fifties, along with other things (Gardiners Island only existed as a privately owned island within the Gardiner family in the MCU as in real life, versus being SHIELD Island here)...
> 
> It, actually starts with Gardiners Island, really. Howard didn't get to purchase it in 1937 the Alpha Timeline, but he did in the Beta Timeline. So in 1937-Beta, he created Stark Industries - four years earlier than he did in the Alpha timeline. Based in Gardiners island and being like... four times bigger at the end of the war compared to the same time in 1945-Alpha, he has bigger business pressures. And something simple happened. Before he could go on a date with Dottie-as-Ida, Or during, he was called away, so she never knew about certain things to kick start the whole 1946 ordeal of Howard being accused of treason, and Leviathan, stayed hidden, along with the Red Room.  
> With secrecy still in place, in 1950s-Beta, they raise kids that, in the 1950s-Alpha, were 'put on ice', because they were in that place still recovering from the SSR/then-SHIELD knowing about both... creating one hell of a ripple effect: among the fertilized eggs that would have been on ice but instead implanted into women and brought to term, was one Natalia Alianovna Romanova. The name assigned her before conception, essentially, and not one given to her by her 'birth parents'.
> 
> I'm placing her Date of Birth as same day and month, but in 1951, instead of 1984 - a, quirk, if you will of the ripple effects, some dates of birth that change year, dont change day. with "in universe" being that its the other way around. As in, the Alpha timeline would have given her the same as Beta, but the meddling from Peggy knowing about them meant that they put her on ice, and once a new academy was established, went through the roster of iced-eggs, going in order and therefore somehow matching - within a few days (plus the years) dates for most if not all of the Black Widow candidates. But even this change with an extra thirty years and raising sharon as her own child doesn't stop her from playing matchmaker! Haha.
> 
> Some people would ignore the MCU's take on her back story to make it this way as 'canon' so 'no explanation for the difference needed'. I say screw that, it's one more thing for Team Bus (or, Team Zephyr?) to go "What the hell?" (imagine Fitz saying it! Then Jemma going 'Timey Wimey')

**Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow - August 29th, 1965**

Under good circumstances, Peggy thought that this might actually be a good sign, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. being invited into the Grand Kremlin Palace openly by the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and actually allowed her own security to accompany her.

This was not good circumstances.

The Junior Lieutenant who had met her at the plane led her into the building, and introduced her to a Colonel General, but she ignored the greeting entirely.

"Where is she? Where is my Daughter?"

"I will take you to her directly." The Colonel General spoke, his accent thick. He led her through the halls almost completely in silence. Almost. As they descended a flight of stairs - his guards preceding them, hers following - he spoke up. "I will not lie. She is physically in rough shape." Her eyes snapped to him. "But she will recover."

"And Mentally?" She asked, harshness covering her worry.

"She says she is fine, but young Romanova tells me that in your countries, that is an, Acronym that means "Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional."

Peggy huffed to hide the burst of amused behind her anger at the situation.

As the came out of the stairwell, silence resumed.

They arrived outside of what looked to be a private residential part of the Palace, and the Colonel General left her at the door he indicated she was in. She opened the door, her security personnel taking positions seamlessly with the soviet guards. Any other time, she'd have been happy about that, but any other time, it wouldn't have happened. She knew precisely why this was the one occasion where the two groups could work such.

She entered into the room where Skye was, Peggy realised that it is what it appeared, it was in fact a residence. A living area where two young girls looked up from a couch near the flickering fireplace. One, Peggy realised, must be the 'Romanova' girl the Colonel-General mentioned. The other was her daughter, bandages covering her arms and hands, she breathed with staggered movements of her chest, so in great physical pain, and her face was covered in a mess of bruises, but some were fresh, and some were already yellowing and yet others were on their way. Peggy knew Skye healed quickly, but not that quickly. The oldest bruises she determined as from seven, maybe eight days ago. The newest just yesterday. Beside the couch were a pair of simple wooden crutches, in arms reach of Romanova, but not Skye.

"Hey Mom." She spoke, and Peggy felt her heart constrict. Skye's voice was not what it was two weeks ago. Gone was the youthful enthusiasm. She sounded older, and she did sound exactly how one would expect after her ordeal, croaky, tired. Tinge of pain colouring it.

She moved over, and gave Skye a soft hug, careful of whatever her injuries beyond the obvious. As she released, she looked at the other girl, who looked a little envious. She opened an arm in indication, but the girl didn't move, so she carefully reached over and pulled her in. Skye giggled.

"Hey Mom...?" Peggy hummed in acknowledgement. "This is 'Talia."

Peggy smiled a little as she released both girls, and 'Talia' struggled to hide how much she liked being hugged. Peggy looked at her fully, and almost frowned at how young the girl appeared, given what she knew the girl was both capable of and had actually accomplished.

"Talia, this is my mom."

"Mrs Carter." Talia spoke softly, greeting. The complete absence of an accent told Peggy more than words could.

"I'm not married, Talia. You can call me Peggy." The girl looked surprised. "I have to thank you, twice, I believe, for saving my daughter."

Talia blinked. "Twice?"

Peggy looked at Skye, who squirmed a little. "Yes, first for what happened four years ago."

Softly, barely a whisper and in shock, Talia spoke, "She told you about me?"

Skye answered. "Of course I did, you're my hero!"

Talia blushed, and accepted the second hug from both Carters. Then she pulled back, "But, I failed this time..."

"No, you didn't." Peggy corrected, looking amused and harsh at the same time. "I have already spoken to Agent Barstow. That you were unable to do the rescue yourself is not your fault, but was it not your idea to inform the authorities about Leviathan, about the Red Room Academy the moment you were in position to do so, and did you not join the forces to liberate my daughter and friend despite your apparent age?"

"She's my age, Mom, she's not ten." Skye inserted quietly.

Peggy nodded, "You were, four years ago, correct?" Talia nodded hesitantly. "And you are only fourteen, are you not?" Talia nodded, stronger. "Many would say you should not have been among the military force, on the front lines."

Talia looked hard, "Skye was in danger! They were hurting her!"

Peggy nodded. "And no matter what anyone said, even those who,  _raised_ you," the anger she felt bled into that single word with heavy weight and meaning, that she did not need explain anything else about that side of things, "You fought for my daughter, and for that," the harshness left her tone, and she pulled Talia back in, "You have my eternal thanks and gratitude. I will never tell you that you should not have been with them, for I believe you were in the right place, at the right time."

Talia finally returned the hug, arm wrapping around them both.

Peggy turned to Skye. "As for you, young lady.  _You_ shouldn't have been there."

"But-"

"They kidnapped you four years ago, that I do not argue. But they aren't the ones who brought you to this country this time."

Skye held her gaze. "They. Had. Talia."

Peggy's mouth twitched at that Skye was using the same argument as Talia.

"I'm not grounding you. I think you've been through enough." The soft look, and roving gaze at the bandages and other signs of injury said enough. Then the hard look returned. "I will, however, have words with Timothy over bringing you here."

Skye's mouth dropped open, and after a moment, had to slap a hand over to help contain a giggle. "Woah." She added. "You never call him that."

"He's never been in this much trouble before." Amused, she added, "Not with me anyway." Then she sighed. "Maybe I should leave him here, as an object lesson? What do you think?" She looked at Talia.

Talia thought intently, before speaking, hesitant. "I... think that if Skye hadn't been here..." She looked down, "I'd be dead." She looked up, "She saved me."

Those words, and the look in Talia's eyes sent a shiver through her. Peggy would have asked how Skye saved her, but a knock on the door interrupted them.

Peggy stood up, and Talia helped Skye get on her feet, using one crutch with the other arm around Talia's shoulder.

"Enter." Peggy commanded.

And in watched the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

She greeted the man in perfect Russian, though with the British accent. As she spoke business, the politics and everything regarding this whole thing, she couldn't help the amusing thought that Skye, for all her academic achievements, struggled with the language and had little to no idea what was being said. Talia gave nothing of her own thoughts away.

Then the man indicated to Talia, speaking in English for Skye's benefit, "Now, Miss Romanova, come, we shall find you a good family to-"

"No."

Peggy blinked. Talia blinked. Even Brezhnev blinked.

Skye let go of Talia for a moment, and stepped forward. Or tried to, as she almost fell and Talia quickly stepped forward and returned Skye's arm to around her shoulder. Skye clutched the girl tighter, and Peggy realised that Skye had  _planned_ that. Skye was completely unfazed, and spoke with determination. "No, she is coming with us."

"Oh?" Brezhnev asked, amused.

Skye nodded. "And you'll let her."

"And why is that?" The man asked. Peggy could see from the moment he looked at her that whatever the reason, he wouldn't stand in the way of it and was simply asking to see what Skye's reasoning was.

"She's the reason you're alive."

 

Both Russians in the room looked at Skye like she was crazy, and Peggy couldn't help it as she too looked at Skye, wondering how she came to that conclusion.

"She's the reason that your country doesn't lie in ruins."

"And how do you come to that conclusion?"

Skye smiled without humour. "She saved my life."

"The Army-" Brezhnev began, and was cut off.

"Four years ago." Skye held his gaze, as he began to understand... and looked at Peggy with a new look, one of a different sort of respect. "They would have killed me  _four years ago_. I didn't come back now for the good of my own health." The sarcasm was thick, and Skye continued without pause. "I didn't come back to shut them down. I came for Talia."

Talia was staring, and Peggy could have sworn she knew what that look was.

Brezhnev was also staring, in amusement. "You braved all for one girl?"

"She saved my life." Skye reiterated. "And in doing so, she saved yours. She's coming home with me."

The man simply stared back for a few seconds, before nodding. "Indeed. If that is her wish," Talia nodded, though still held her gaze on Skye, "Then who am I to argue? If you ever wish to return to your motherland, we will of course welcome you home."

Peggy traded a short conversation, though both watched the two fourteen year old girls return to the couch, Talia smiling widely and Skye suddenly going shy under the attention.

Brezhnev said his goodbyes, and then left.

Peggy waited until the door was shut and she counted long enough for the man to be far enough not to hear anything, then turned to Skye. "Oh Skye."

Skye looked up. "What?"

She wanted to say, 'You just spoke to one of the most powerful men in Russia like  _he_ was the child, and got him to agree to allow one of his citizens to basically move to america without being marked as a traitor'. She even wanted to say that and add, 'and from the look of him, he wouldn't even ask Talia to spy for him'. That, and point out that Skye just suggested that Peggy would have laid waste to Russia had Skye died four years ago... and honestly, wasn't sure she wouldn't have done that. A lot of people  _had_ died during the month Skye was gone. It was a dark day, and also one of the reasons SHIELD was respected by many. Respected, and Feared.

It had been the first and last time  _any_ enemy of SHIELD had targeted the families of any agent. Her position as director hadn't even been known until two years ago, and even now most only know of it as her current, and not that she's held it since S.H.I.E.L.D.'s inception, which was to their advantage. They didn't have to worry so much about it anymore. The whispers were there. Target a SHIELD agent's family? Expect a very disproportionate retribution, and even SHIELD's enemies to turn on you for unleashing a beast.

Instead, she joked, "Next you'll be telling off Premier Alexei Kosygin."

Skye shrugged lightly. "Who knows, maybe he won't do something to piss either of us off?"

"Skye!"

Skye just grinned up at her, then spoke, "So, no other official business to do?"

"Some, but not for you, young lady..." She flicked her gaze at Talia, "I'll be back to bring the both of you home, so get ready, while I go shout at Timothy, Percival and Elizabeth."

With a hug - to both girls - she left the room.

She didn't shout, at any of the three. She understood. They didn't have her  _permission_ , but she understood why they waited for Skye to finish her third year at Culver, before acting on the fresh intelligence on Leviathan, on the Red Room Academy. And Talia had confirmed it, really. It wasn't in what she did say, but what wasn't said. The look in her eyes.

That look scared Peggy, and was glad that Talia had Skye. And that Skye had Talia.

Maybe Skye wouldn't keep breaking bones whenever she trained with any newly recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at Camp Le High during her summers.

Peggy looked back at the closed door as she left with that thought in mind, and mentally sighed. She hoped that Skye's many issues had been halved with this, but couldn't help but know that if anything, the issues in the Carter household had instead doubled.

But for that smile... both of their smiles, it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is how Talia came to the Carter household!
> 
> I checked dates: The Premier at the time is indeed Alexei Kosygin, the Chairman of the presidium (not mentioned) is Anastas Mikoyan, the older brother of Artem Mikoyan of the 'Mikoyan Aircraft Corporation', or MiG. And Leonov Brezhnev is the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, dates October 1964-November 82 (renamed to General Secretary in April 1966).
> 
> I have NO IDEA what their stances would be on the existence of Leviathan, the training from birth of young girls to become assassins, et cetera. And that is what Natalia has been trained for - so Peggy was right in her fear at the end. And just because natalia was saved, doesn't mean Skye's issues with the kidnapping from 1961 are gone, (originally mentioned as 1962 in 4C.3G.2S.1R, or 'CGSR', but edited to one) and in fact, there are more issues from what happened in the week immediately preceeding the events hinted at here.
> 
> This is from my timeline spreadsheet: 20/08/1965 - Skye leaves with Dum Dum Dugan, Percival Pinkerton and Elizabeth Barstow on an unofficial mission to rescue Talia from the Red Room. Those three had the intel necessary for a week, but held off for Skye. Their mission was more to shut the place down, though rescue Talia was a primary objective, just not the only one.
> 
> 21/08/1965 - Skye infiltrates the facility, being small enough to hide and play stealth. Barstow pretends to be a KGB officer sent to inspect the facility, but the ruse fails for one big reason - Leviathan and the Red Room Academy are NOT KNOWN TO THE KGB. Kind of an important note that was not accounted for, not known. Basically because of the idea that 'its a plan against the west, of course the KGB are involved, its their plan' is the default modus operandi until this point. yes it's tendrils of HYDRA but not tendrils that run through KGB this time. Or rather, in this timeline. Percival also coordinatedly pretended to try to infiltrate and got caught, but the fact that the other ruse didn't work meant he had no support to escape as part of the plan.
> 
> 22/08/1965 - An attempt at a diversion (big explosion) fails, and Dugan is captured, however that explosion provided cover for Percival and Elizabeth to escape, but they're injured and stay near instead of scrubbing the mission because of Dugan and skye still in the facility. Skye is discovered that night, and recognised.
> 
> 23-25th - Skye is interrogated, but holds firm. (the injuries all from interrogation)
> 
> 26/08/1965 - Natalia learns what happened and makes her own move, attempting to free Skye but it doesn't work (unlike how it had four years ago), and is forced to flee herself. She encounters Percival and Elizabeth, and it is learning from those two that Leviathan is NOT a sanctioned operation that gives her the idea to involve the Russian Government/Military.
> 
> 27/08/1965 - Contrary to some prejudiced people, the general feeling of most Russians about 'Child Soldiers' fits pretty well with their own feelings, so it is an all-out military assault that sees the destruction of Leviathan and the Red Room Academy, with a group guided by Talia and assisted by Percival and Elizabeth (effectively making it technically a joint operation between the US, UK and USSR) that rescues both Dugan and Skye.
> 
> 28/08/1965 - The Assault continues after the rescue. Some would say that the Russian Soldiers - both the grunts all the way up to their commanders - are a might bit pissed off at what was happening there. (If it were real, would they? Or am I being naive, or is it cynical/nationalistically racist to assume the opposite would happen? 'oh they're Russian? of course they like the idea of child soldiers, its in a lot of the admittedly-western fiction so it must be true' see?)
> 
> Perhaps also, the relationship between them starts to make some sense? (Love isn't, usually, logical, but sometimes it is, and when it is, it's great? Or something. I've never been in love.)
> 
> As far Skye not being into guys, I'm basically using the common trope of 'Bad after bad after bad pushing someone away from guys' - she's still attracted to guys, but she's open to being with girls, and consequently in this timeline, ends up with Talia, because even though she doesn't consciously remember, she still subconsciously does the old timeline, and consequently: Miles, Ward, as bad relationships, Lincoln as a good one that ended terribly, and then there's Robbie Reyes that she, in my headcanon, was attracted to but there had been the whole 'ghost rider' thing, and would have been attracted to Deke (or, was,) but then he ruined it by selling her out to the Kree.  
> Also: spoiler alert - he totally is Fitz-Simmons's grandson! (although yes, *everyone* called it since the first episode featuring the framework.)

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this, though it's more of a draft. And I don't like super-short chapters like this, but after coming up with the idea in the middle of writing Chapter 2 of Captain Skye, It's been poking me for attention.


End file.
